Khao Soi Chiang Mai Journey: Northern Thai Noodles & Warorot Market
Day tour
Food tour
Standard
Departure point
→
Destination
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai
1N (Participation Duration)
Car,Walking (Transportation)
English (Language)
Number of participants 0/10
0 booked
Tour description
Chiang Mai does not cook like Bangkok. Northern Thai cuisine follows ancient trading routes down from Yunnan and Burma, so it is less sweet, uses less coconut milk, and relies more on fermentation, herbs, and pork. The region’s most famous dish, khao soi, is a Burmese Muslim-style curry noodle soup topped with crispy noodles, and the best versions are made by families who have done nothing else for seventy years.
This morning tour eats Northern-style, not like a typical Thai restaurant. We begin at a small market in the Old City with rice porridge, fermented pork sausage, and fried flour cakes, then cross to khao soi kitchens north and east of the moat—including one that has been serving since the 1950s and another recognized by Michelin. In between, we taste sai ua, Chiang Mai’s herb-packed sausage; nam prik ong and nam prik noom served with pork cracklings and steamed vegetables; and gaeng hang lay, a slow-cooked pork belly curry with ginger, tamarind, and pickled garlic originating in Burma.
We finish at Warorot, the century-old Chinese-Thai market that supplies food to the entire city, where your guide will introduce you to Northern chili pastes, dried goods, and snacks.
Small group, maximum 10 guests. Walking plus two short songthaew rides, included.
This morning tour eats Northern-style, not like a typical Thai restaurant. We begin at a small market in the Old City with rice porridge, fermented pork sausage, and fried flour cakes, then cross to khao soi kitchens north and east of the moat—including one that has been serving since the 1950s and another recognized by Michelin. In between, we taste sai ua, Chiang Mai’s herb-packed sausage; nam prik ong and nam prik noom served with pork cracklings and steamed vegetables; and gaeng hang lay, a slow-cooked pork belly curry with ginger, tamarind, and pickled garlic originating in Burma.
We finish at Warorot, the century-old Chinese-Thai market that supplies food to the entire city, where your guide will introduce you to Northern chili pastes, dried goods, and snacks.
Small group, maximum 10 guests. Walking plus two short songthaew rides, included.
Meeting point:
View on map
Talat Somphet market, Ratchaphakhinai Soi 6, Old City, Chiang Mai
We meet at the entrance to Talat Somphet on Ratchaphakhinai Soi 6, inside the Old City near the northeast corner. Your guide will have a small sign with your name.
Detailed itinerary
Stop 1 - Talat Somphet, Old City: A small local market where the Old City buys breakfast. Rice porridge, fermented naem sausage, fried dough sticks and a first coffee, with your guide on northern ingredients.
Stop 2 - Nam prik and sticky rice: Nam prik noom, roasted green chilli dip, and nam prik ong, a tomato and pork relish, eaten with pork crackling, steamed vegetables and sticky rice.
Stop 3 - Sai ua, Chiang Mai sausage: Grilled pork sausage packed with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf and turmeric - the single most recognisable northern flavour.
Stop 4 - Khao soi: The centrepiece. A coconut curry noodle soup with braised chicken, crisp fried noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallot and lime, at a family kitchen that has made nothing else for generations.
Stop 5 - Gaeng hang lay: Slow-cooked pork belly curry with ginger, tamarind and pickled garlic, the dish that shows how close northern Thailand sits to Burma.
Stop 6 - Warorot Market: A guided walk through the Chinese-Thai market that supplies the city, with northern snacks, chilli pastes and a khao soi paste to take home.
Stop 7 - Sweet finish: Mango sticky rice in season, or a coconut-milk dessert, with your guide's notes on where to eat in the evening.
Stop 2 - Nam prik and sticky rice: Nam prik noom, roasted green chilli dip, and nam prik ong, a tomato and pork relish, eaten with pork crackling, steamed vegetables and sticky rice.
Stop 3 - Sai ua, Chiang Mai sausage: Grilled pork sausage packed with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf and turmeric - the single most recognisable northern flavour.
Stop 4 - Khao soi: The centrepiece. A coconut curry noodle soup with braised chicken, crisp fried noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallot and lime, at a family kitchen that has made nothing else for generations.
Stop 5 - Gaeng hang lay: Slow-cooked pork belly curry with ginger, tamarind and pickled garlic, the dish that shows how close northern Thailand sits to Burma.
Stop 6 - Warorot Market: A guided walk through the Chinese-Thai market that supplies the city, with northern snacks, chilli pastes and a khao soi paste to take home.
Stop 7 - Sweet finish: Mango sticky rice in season, or a coconut-milk dessert, with your guide's notes on where to eat in the evening.
Tour price includes
• English-speaking local food guide for a small group
• All 7 food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• Two songthaew rides between the Old City, khao soi kitchens, and Warorot
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the journey
• All taxes and service fees
• All 7 food and drink tastings listed in the itinerary
• Two songthaew rides between the Old City, khao soi kitchens, and Warorot
• Bottled water and wet wipes throughout the journey
• All taxes and service fees
Tour price excludes
• Hotel pickup and drop-off unless otherwise stated
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for the guide (appreciated but not required)
• Meals and shopping outside the itinerary
• Additional drinks beyond those included
• Personal travel insurance
• Tips for the guide (appreciated but not required)
• Meals and shopping outside the itinerary
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour start time for a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours are non-refundable. The tour operates rain or shine. During the burning season from February to April, we may shorten the outdoor portions; please see the note.
Other notes
Departs daily at 08:30. The morning schedule cannot be changed—the best khao soi kitchens in Chiang Mai only serve lunch and usually sell out between 14:00 and 15:00, so this tour has no evening version.
Burning season: approximately from mid-February to late April, with March being the worst; air quality in Chiang Mai is often at hazardous levels. We make this clear at booking, provide N95 masks upon request, and will shorten or cancel the tour with a refund if conditions reach severe levels. If you have asthma or another respiratory condition, avoid Chiang Mai entirely in March.
Songkran, April 13–15: most street kitchens close and the entire city becomes a giant water fight. We do not operate tours on these dates.
Special dietary needs: please let us know at least 48 hours in advance. Northern Thai cuisine uses a great deal of pork, but a vegetarian route with nam prik, tofu khao soi, and market snacks is genuinely delicious. Halal khao soi is available in Chiang Mai, and we can arrange a route there with advance notice.
Approximately 1.5 km of walking plus two short songthaew rides.
Burning season: approximately from mid-February to late April, with March being the worst; air quality in Chiang Mai is often at hazardous levels. We make this clear at booking, provide N95 masks upon request, and will shorten or cancel the tour with a refund if conditions reach severe levels. If you have asthma or another respiratory condition, avoid Chiang Mai entirely in March.
Songkran, April 13–15: most street kitchens close and the entire city becomes a giant water fight. We do not operate tours on these dates.
Special dietary needs: please let us know at least 48 hours in advance. Northern Thai cuisine uses a great deal of pork, but a vegetarian route with nam prik, tofu khao soi, and market snacks is genuinely delicious. Halal khao soi is available in Chiang Mai, and we can arrange a route there with advance notice.
Approximately 1.5 km of walking plus two short songthaew rides.
Detailed price list
| Guest type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults | $55 |
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